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Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Ancient winery area in Georgia

07.06.2016. General Director of National Museum of Georgia Davit Lordkipanidze, head of National Wine Agency Giorgi Samanishvili, representatives of National Agency of Cultural Heritage Defense and Georgian Wine Association visited Qvemo Qartli, Imiri and saw archaeological findings of VI century B.C.

As a result of the archaeological expedition, grape stones of VI century B.C were discovered in Qvemo Qartli. Complex investigation has determined, that first time, wild vine was domesticated in Georgia and wine was made of cultivated vine. Cultivated vine dust cell is discovered in the scrapings of the ware, that confirms the existence of wine in this wares.

As the head of the National Wine Agency mentioned, “Georgian Vine and Wine Investigation” project, which provides the archaeological excavation, is very important for Georgian wine popularization."

“This project is generally important for Georgian history and especially for research of winery and viticulture, as this is the place the affirmative materials that Georgia is the oldest area of winery were discovered. These excavation is for finding additional artifacts to strengthen our ancient Winery history. We started producing wine 8 thousand years ago and this process was continuous, which is very important. In Georgia, wine is produced the same way and is as good, as thousand years before”- mentioned Giorgi Samanishvili.

General director of National Museum of Georgia, Davit Lordkipanidze named the archaeological excavations of Imiri as the work of international importance.

“The top-ranking and international level works are in progress. This year, the scales of the expedition has widened, specialists different countries joined the expedition. This is not only archeology, here, not only wine history, but the whole epoch is being researched. The whole region is very important for human history research. This year, artifacts are discovered, we still search wine stones, the research is in progress and what is the most important, many laboratory analyses are experimented”- mentioned Davit Lortqipanidze.

As a result of archaeological excavations, residential buildings, different tools, vessels, farming holes and other materials were discovered. Treatment and palaeo-botanical analyses of discovered material will show clearer picture of the oldest culture of winery and viticulture existent in Georgia.

The results of archaeological research of Neolithic monuments in the East Georgia will prove, that the society moves one a new level of life in this period. Agriculture and the process of animal domestication is beginning to raise.

Since 2014, with the support of the Government of Georgia, National Wine Agency, National Museum of Georgia and association “Georgian Wine” united international project – “Georgian vine and wine culture Investigation” is in progress. It will encourage Georgian vine and wine culture development researches and popularization worldwide. Within the framework of the project, field- archaeological excavation in Neolithic age remains of village – Gadachrili Gora and interdisciplinary analyses of vine remains of different historical epoch found in Georgia are in process.

Together with Georgian scientists, investigators of agricultural research institutes of Pennsylvania, Montpellier, Copenhagen, Toronto University, Weizmann institute of science in Israel, Montpellier SupAgro participated in the project. The scientific adviser is Davit Lordkipanidze, member and correspondent of Georgian National Academy of Science. The manger of the project is Levan Davitashvili, the coordinator of the project is Davit Magradze. The director of the expedition is the main curator of archaeological collections of National Museum, Mindia Jalabadze.

This year, students of National Museum of Georgia and summer-field school of Toronto University participate in the project. The aim of the project is popularization of Georgian cultural heritage, the research sciences – Georgian history and historical disciplines – archaeology, ethnology, palaeo-botany. The project is supported by Toronto University and Shota Rustaveli National Scientific Fund.